


An Unstoppable Force and an Unmovable Object

by may_i_have_this_wish



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: College AU, F/F, F/M, M/M, coffee shop AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-14
Updated: 2016-05-14
Packaged: 2018-06-08 07:03:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6844132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/may_i_have_this_wish/pseuds/may_i_have_this_wish
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rey is finishing her second year at Force United University. She loves her job, she loves her team, she loves her school. Her life is more stable than it's ever been, and it seems like her hard work has finally paid off. </p>
<p>Finn has his life where he wants it. He's working on a degree, he's working with his sister and boyfriend, he's clean, and out of trouble. </p>
<p>Poe thought things couldn't be going smoother, he's getting his first year of grad school under his belt, the shop is blossoming, and the two scrappy kids he hired two years ago are probably the best friends he's ever had. </p>
<p>Ben Solo is stuck. Stuck without a plan, stuck without a goal, stuck without any direction of his own. He needs something to help him straighten out, something to get order. </p>
<p>But crime is on the rise in the costal city of Coruscant, the rumors of gang activity are running wild. And when signs start showing up that they may have a target, things start to go south fast.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Unstoppable Force and an Unmovable Object

Rey was running.

Flat out, sweat dripping down her temple, running. She vaulted herself over a bench, leapt over a small potted plant, and only changed her path to skirt around the obnoxiously large fountain in the middle of campus. She was not going to be late. If there was one thing she was, it was punctual. Poe and Finn were counting on her to be there, and her shift started in minutes, and her stupid motorcycle was broken and she hadn’t had time to fix it between homework and-

She should have been paying more attention to where she was going, because one second she was flying across campus, and the next she slammed into what felt like a brick wall. 

“Shit!” she yelped, bouncing off the impossibly tall man and beginning to fall. 

A hand shot out and grabbed her upper arm, catching her and hauling her to her feet. She finally got a chance to look at the rather pissed off stranger glaring down at her. He had dark hair that waved down past his chin, a long face with a large nose that was balanced by the strength of his brow bone and the fullness of his lips. And he was looking positively disgusted at her.

“Sorry!” she said, breath coming out in short pants, “I’m late for work and-”

“It’s fine.” He said curtly, “Just watch where you’re going next time.” His tone was rude, and Rey couldn’t blame him. 

She nodded, glanced down at her watch, gave a loud exclamation of “Shit!” once more   
and was off. 

\---  
Ben Solo frowned, lips twisting as he watched her go. He was going to have one hell of a bruise from that. How the hell had she not seen him, anyways? He was hard to miss. Stupid girl, she was going to get hurt if she kept going like that-

The thought was paused as he watched her leap over a flower bed, land on the thin back of the bench across from it, and jump off without missing a beat.

What the hell. He glanced down, eyebrows shooting up. She had dropped her wallet. Looking up at her retreating back, he realized she was too far away to hear him call out. Ben cursed under his breath, scooped it up, and began running. 

\---

Rey practically exploded through the front door of the coffee shop, chest heaving, looking positively wild. 

“Rey!” Finn grinned, “Right on time!” He pumped his fist in the air. 

Rey grinned, vaulting over the counter and high fiving her foster brother, “I made it from Hepner Hall to here in five minutes.”

Poe let out a low whistle, emerging from the back and plopping her apron over her face, “You’re going to get hit by a car one day,” he tsked. 

She chuckled, wriggling the apron over her head and tying it around her waist, “I’m too fast, But it came a price today, I slammed into some guy on campus, I thought he was going to kill me.” The three of them settled easily into a comfortable routine. They worked well together, the three of them. It had been nearly two years since Finn and Rey had joined the Two Moon Espresso Bar and Cafe run by Poe’s retired parents. She liked it. She was good at it.

She and Finn danced around each other, dashing around behind the counter as the first rush of the day hit. Poe manned the register, the sharpie in his hands never still as he jotted down orders on cups. They were slid across the counter to Rey’s waiting hands, or Finn’s depending on if they were cold or include food. She flew across the bar. Add syrups, pull the shot, tamp it down, pour the shot, steam the milk, pour, repeat. 

But then-

“We’re out of nonfat milk!” Finn called, panic evident in his eyes. Rey sucked in a breath, they weren’t due to get a delivery until tomorrow. 

Poe’s eyes went wide, “Rey, take over, Finn, go!” He shoved a wad of bills into Finn’s hand and the younger man was off like a rocket, barreling out the door. 

Rey and Poe exchanged a single, millisecond long look, and nodded once. Rey swept between the cold and hot bar, dodging Poe when he bolted to the food prep area to throw together a sandwich. 

Rey could see the end of the line in sight, they were almost there, they had almost made it. Then her blood ran cold. Mr. Tall, dark, and glowering was standing at the door, clutching his chest, red in the face and panting. Had he chased after her? 

He looked around awkwardly, shoulders hunching as he scowled. He didn't seem to know what to do with his hands, or how to look at anybody in anyway that didn't say “murder.” She groaned, but didn't have time to dwell on it. Why did the creepy one’s always come after her?

\------

By god Ben was out of shape. There was a stitch in his side like no other. Long gone were his days as a high school athlete. He needed to stop skipping the gym. 

He looked around the crowded shop, trying to locate the brunette who had crashed into him. It didn't take long to locate her. She was zipping around behind the counter, dark eyes manic as she moved faster than he had thought possible, weaving around an older man who looked like something out of a magazine. 

“Restock!” The man shouted flailing a hand at the empty space on the counter where he presumed cups normally sat. The woman’s head shot up, and in a flash she was madly searching the ceiling high shelf that lined the back wall for cups. Ben could see them, right at the top. The girl wasn't short but there was no way she would be able to reach them. Not unless she decided to climb it like the animal she probably was. 

“Milk!” another man, dark skinned and toting several canvas bags, cried. He blew by Ben, seemingly drinking the same rocket fuel the girl was as he darted around the counter and slapped the bags down. 

“Boost!” the girl cried, pointing up at the cups. They seemed to communicate best in single words. Ben was slightly amazed that nobody seemed to be sporting injuries. 

The man bent, cupping his hands for the girl to step on, and lifted her. She grabbed the cups and leapt to the ground, slapping one into the older man’s waiting hand. 

The younger man had meanwhile, had washed his hands and stored the milk away. The three seemed to be performing some kind of elaborate choreography, never colliding but always moving. He had been so distracted by the seeming disaster waiting to happen that he had failed to notice he’d reached the beginning of the line.

“Hi,” the older man, who’s name tag read ‘Poe’ and featured a sticker of a bird that was presumably a raven, said, “Welcome to Two Moon, what can I get started for you?” He had a sharpie armed and poised in his hand, the other hovering over the cups. Ben glanced at the girl, he could see now her name was ‘Rey’ and there was a sticker of a sun on the tag to prove it. 

“She ran into me earlier, she dropped this,” he held up the wallet. 

“Sweetheart,” Poe called, “The guy you body slammed earlier is here!” 

Rey was seemingly unembarrassed, although Ben had to raise an eyebrow at the term of endearment. Surely that was unprofessional? But she just bounced over, bumping her hip against Poe’s to shoo him out of the way. 

“My wallet!” she exclaimed, eyes growing wide, “I didn't even realize I’d dropped it!” She had an accent, he realized, momentarily distracted.

“Yeah, that's what happens when you attack strangers,” he grumbled, too harshly he realized. 

She flushed, brows furrowing, “Sorry about that. I was late-” 

“For work, yeah, you said,” he finished, shoving his hands deep in his pockets. 

“Thank you,” she smiled. 

“No problem,” he grumbled, trying to pretend he hadn’t almost stroked out trying to reach the shop. They stood in silence, she seemed to be looking at him expectantly. 

“Did you want to get anything?” she asked finally. Looking at her face he realized she had freckles dotting her nose like constellations in the sky. 

“Uh…” He blinked. He had not looked at the menu. 

“If you have any questions, let us know!” The younger man, Finn (his name tag had a fish sticker on it) called, whizzing behind Rey and disappearing into the back. 

“Just, uh, just a…”

“Our white mochas are to die for,” she filled in quickly, smiling brightly. Was there anything this girl didn’t do brightly?

“I'll have a large one of those,” he decided quickly, pulling his wallet out. He paid, and shuffled away from the counter. Minutes later Rey called out ‘white mocha’ and he rose, grabbing the drink and muttering out a thank you. 

He would definitely never be showing his face at this coffee shop ever again. Besides, there was no need to, there were two Starbucks on campus and another small shop by his apartment. He took a sip. 

It was the best fucking coffee he had ever tasted. And Ben Solo loved coffee. 

He would have to come back.


End file.
